May calls for early election in June
• With Conservatives ahead in opinion polls, May wants ‘security for years ahead’ as UK prepares to leave EU
Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday has called for a snap general election on June 8, in a surprise announcement as Britain prepares for delicate negotiations on leaving the EU.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has called for a snap general election on June 8, in a surprise announcement as Britain prepares for delicate negotiations on leaving the EU.
“We need a general election and we need one now. We have at this moment a one-off chance to get this done … before the detailed talks begin,” May said on Tuesday in a policy U-turn that caught everyone off-guard.
Speaking outside her official Downing Street residence in London, May warned that “division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit”.
She said parliament would be asked to vote on Wednesday to decide whether or not to hold an election.
May justified her change of heart, saying: “I concluded the only way to guarantee certainty and security for years ahead is to hold this election.”
The dramatic announcement caps nearly a year of tumult since the Brexit vote in June 2016, which included the resignation of May’s predecessor, David Cameron, and her rapid rise to power.
A round of opinion polls at the weekend showed her Conservative Party far ahead of the main opposition Labour Party. The Conservatives polled between 38% and 46% versus Labour’s 23% to 29%, according to the polls by YouGov, ComRes and Opinium.
The poll lead prompted many senior Conservatives to call for an election, particularly as May will need a strong parliamentary majority as she seeks to negotiate Brexit.
The Conservatives have a majority of just 17 from the previous election in 2015 and some of the party’s members of parliament (MPs) have indicated they could vote against the government on key aspects of Brexit legislation.
“Our opponents believe because the government’s majority is so small that our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change. They are wrong,” May said.
EU leaders except May are set to hold a summit on April 29 to decide on their strategy for negotiating Britain’s expected departure in 2019. The negotiations are not likely to start until May or June.
The European Commission has said it wanted the exit talks to be concluded by October 2018 at the latest and stressed in an initial reaction to May’s shock announcement that the plans were unchanged.
Britain’s next election was due to have been held in 2020 — a date enshrined in legislation according to which elections have to be held every five years in May.
But the law can be overruled if two-thirds of MPs vote for early elections.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Tuesday he would back May’s call.
“Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy [and] delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and [National Health Service],” he said. “We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain.”
Corbyn, a veteran socialist, won the Labour leadership in September 2015 after the party’s defeat in that year’s election.
He enjoys grass-roots support on the left but is opposed by most of the party’s more centrist MPs, who say that Labour under his leadership is not appealing to the middle classes.
In contrast, May has scored consistently well in terms of personal popularity and polls show approval for her handling of the run-up to Brexit talks. When asked who they thought would be the best prime minister, 50% of respondents in the YouGov poll named May and only 14% opted for Corbyn.
May is Britain’s second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher and commentators have drawn comparisons with the steely determination of the Iron Lady.